S.A.G.
Imports Inc., the distributor of Quesada Cigars, is putting the final
touches on a limited-edition line of cigars called Q d’etat—a play on
the concept of “coup d’etat”—in an attempt to help unite cigar smokers
in support of their rights.

There
will be just 1,000 boxes released, each with ten cigars, and there will
be three sizes in the line. So far the company is not releasing names
or specs on the second and third installments, but it has revealed that
the first release will be called the Molotov, a reference to the Molotov
cocktail.

Named
for Russian foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was responsible
for bombing runs on Finland, Molotov cocktails were makeshift weapons
made from bottles filled with gasoline that the Finnish employed to
battle Soviet troops during the Winter War, which began in 1939. The
improvised incendiary devices became known as Molotov cocktails.

The
Molotov cigar is being produced at Manufactura de Tabacos S.A. (MATASA)
in the Dominican Republic, and will be released in January. The cigar
is a creative figurado with a bit of jutting leaf at the top to resemble
the wick of a Molotov cocktail. Composed entirely of Dominican leaf, it
measures 5 inches by 58 ring at its widest point. It will retail for
approximately $7.95.

S.AG. decided to make the announcement on December 8 as it is the 20th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Manuel
Quesada, who makes such brands as Quesada and Fonseca in the Dominican
Republic, said the cigar is, “a great size for thousands of us who will
have to smoke outside in the freezing cold this winter because of
draconian smoking bans that prevent us from enjoying a cigar indoors at
our favorite bars, restaurants, and, often times, even cigar shops.”

Each
box will contain a membership registration form for Cigar Rights of
America, a consumer organization fighting for the rights of cigar
smokers.